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(No Model.)

E. P.. LEBLOND. MACHINE FORA PREPARING AND DISTRIBUTING TGBAGGO.

Patented Dee.

N. Pinna Phow-Lnhegmpnar.

WifueJJeJ @Ninn rSTATES p PATENT OFFICE.

EUGNE FERDINAND LEBLOND, or rARIs, FRANOE-` MACHINE FOR PREPARINC AND DISTRIBUTINC TOBACCO.

S1?ECIFICATION` forming part of ALetters Patent No. 290,333, dated December 18, 1883.

Application filed May 29, lees. (No model.) Patented in France April 2, issn, N0.154,733, vin England April 9, lesa, No. 1,715, and

in Belgium April 1o. 1883, No. 61.037.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGNE FERDINAND LEBLOND, a citizen of France, residing at Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented new. and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Preparing Tobacco for Cigarette-Machines, (for which I have obtained a patent in France for fifteen years, No. 154, 733, bearing date April 2, 1883; in Great Britain for fourteen years, .dated April 9, 1883, No. 1,7 75; and in Belgium for fifteen years, dated April 10, 1883, No. 61,037 of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanism for preparing tobacco for cigarette-machines. rIhe mechanism referred to comprises an endless band having continuous motion, upon which band the tobacco is thrown or otherwise placed in greateror less order'. Afixed glass or other slnooth surface placed above the band equalizes the tobacco in its passage andassists in forming it into a cake, which is then delivered intermittingly in equal lengths to the cigarette-machine or molding apparatus for filling into paper tubes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan, of my machine. Fig. 3 shows detail views of the pinion m and its attachments.

a is the endless band,which is continuously drawn by one of two rollers, b c, around which it is placed. Above this band is held the slab d, of glass or other substance which isf smooth, so as to allow the tobacco to glide freely under its lower face, which is or may be parallel with the endless band. The distance between the slab d and the endless cloth may be regulated at pleasure.

In front of the slab d is hung the feedingcylinder f, the lower side of which is on a level with the lower face of thev slab d, and which compels the tobacco to follow the course of the endless band and to pass under the slab d. The cylinder f canbe revolved by a belt or chain from the roller c, as indicated in Fig. 2, or by other means.

In rear of the slab d is hung another roller, y, which is covered with supple india-rubber. This roller g extends about half-way down into the space between the band a and the slab d, and serves by its'position, when stationary, as a barrier to the progress of the tobacco which is on the band c,- but when the roller g is turned in the direction of the arrow g it serves to further compress the end of the cake of tobacco, and then to move this compressed end out as far as desired upon a fixed platform. The roller gis then again stopped, the projecting end of the cake de tached by a knife or otherwise, and the roller y then again turned, and so on. In order to promote these effects, the roller g is turned intermittingly, the vextent of its rotation being variable and governed in accordance with the greater or less size of the cigarettes to be made. Thus the roller g turns in the direction of the arrow g to deliver the compressed tobacco to the molding mechanism. The motion of said roller is then either reversednor arrested, so that it will again assist in the caIr-ng of the tobacco; and this alternate movement is repeated continuously. The tobacco is placed in front of the slab d, either by hand or is delivered from a duct or from atableplacedin atransversepositionwith the endless band, or it may be fed through a tube.

From the preceding description of the apparatus it is easy to understand that in order to produce an even and regular caking or pressing together of the tobacco it suffices to either place7 throw, or let fall the tobacco without any care on the endless band at the front end of the slab cl. 'Ihe intermittent rotary motion of the roller g may be produced by different means-for instance, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In this form a ratchetwheel, i, is affixed to the end of roller g, and a pawl, j, fitted upon the face of a pinion, m, (which is loose on the axle of the said rollen) engagesinto said ratchet-wheel when it moves in the direction ofthe arrow g. The pinion m meshes with a toothed wheel, n, which is loose on the shaft of the roller b. Into the teeth of the wheel n engages also atoothed sector, p,which by a rod, fr, is connected with alever, Z, which latter communicates with a cam of the driv' ing-shaft of the cigarette machine. The articulation of the connecting-rod w and of the lever l allows of varying and regulating the movements of the sector p, and consequently the extent of the turning motion ofthe roller g.

In beginning the work, or While starting the machine, or even while it is Working, it may be expedient to stop the distribution in order to give the tobacco-cake time to form..

For that purpose the pawlj is either disengaged from the teeth ofthe ratchet-wheel i, in

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the endless band a, slab d, and rollers f and g, with mechanism, substantially as herein described, for moving said 'band continuously and said roller g intermittingly, said roller g entering part way into the space between said slab and said band, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination of the endless band a, roller f, slab d, and roller g, with the ratchetwheel z, pawl j, toothed Wheels m n, toothed sector p, rod w, and lever l, substantially as herein shown and described.

EUGNE FERDINAND LEBLOND.

Witnesses: I

A. BLITNER, RoBT. M. HooPER. 

